Category Archives: Fuselage

Time: 1 Hour

The engine driven fuel pump has an overflow port to allow excess fuel drain after engine shutdown. Van’s uses a 90° elbow that has a soldered 1/4″ copper line on it. When I was installing it the copper line broke off. So I decided to upgrade to a AN842-4D elbow. This has the 1/8″ threaded side and a 1/4″ OD barbed side. I could then use some 1/4″ ID hose to run from the AN fitting to some 1/4″ aluminum tube that directs the fuel overboard under the fuselage. I cut some tubing and made the required bends so that it exits underneath the fuselage through a hole I drilled. I then secured that tubing with adel clamps. With the AN fitting secured in the pump all I needed to do was cut a length of tubing to connect the two. I will use zip ties to secure the hose to the tubing and AN fitting.

Time: 2 Hours

Not required by PlanePower but it doesn’t hurt to have cool air blowing on the cooling fins located on the aft portion of the alternator. I had drilled the hole on the right hand inlet baffle ramp a long time ago so I would have to drill through the painted product. Now I just needed to figure out how to get the tube situated to blow air on the right spot. What I decided on was to fabricate a bracket that would allow it to be riveted to the alternator aft cover and hold the tube in the right position. So I took some measurements and cut out a blank from .040 sheet aluminum and formed up the bracket. I drilled a 3/4″ hole for the tube and match drilled four holes for blind rivets. Once I had the shape and all the bends looked ok I cleaned it up and primed/painted it to match the baffles. Once it was dry I riveted it in place and installed the tube. I drilled two holes in the end of the tube that allows a small zip tie to be installed at the top and bottom of the tube and secure it to the bracket so it doesn’t come loose. I then installed the aft cover now with the bracket and measured for the opposite end and made the cut. There is a third zip tie securing the tube to the alternator as it comes forward and keeps it away from the exhaust pipe. I also drilled two small holes on the bottom at the lowest spot of the tube so that any moisture that were to get in the tube would drain out and not be directed at the alternator. It’s simple and secure, I think this will do a good job of cooling and was an easy project.

Time: 1 Hour

At the bottom of the engine is the Superior cold air sump. This is where the air that comes in from the air filter/servo gets divided up and sent to the individual cylinders. During engine shutdown there can be a very slight chance that unburnt fuel travels back down into the sump. AeroSport power said this is very rare in a fuel injected engine but still recommended the sniffle valve. The valve is a mechanical means to drain any fuel out of the bottom of the sump. The valve is heat activated, or the lack there of as heat actually closes the valve and when it cools it opens allowing any fuel to drain. I was pretty straight forward installing the valve and I just needed to extend the line so that it would exit past the lower engine cowl onto the ground. I used some MIL-6000 hose to give it the bend and flexibility and secured the other end with a clamp to the engine exhaust bracket. I’ll replace the clamp with a high temp one after I get it from Aircraft Spruce. I think I will also put some eat shields on the exhaust where it’s close to the hose.

Time: 2 Hours

I needed to run the oil breather tube from my inverted oil separator tank to the bottom of the engine area. Normally with the stock setup it would run from the top/back of the engine case. This tube is required to release high case pressures and allow any excess pressure and/or oil to be expelled overboard. Van’s stock setup comes with a pre-bent tube and hose attachment. Since I went custom I needed to create my own. Not a big deal and I just needed to determine the angles to follow the path I planned. I also needed to get it close to the engine mount so I could secure it and direct the tube just over a section of the exhaust pipes. This allows any oil that is expelled to be burnt off and only create smoke. That’s the idea however I have read that a lot of the oil doesn’t get burnt off and ends up on the belly of the plane for you to clean up. Hopefully the inverted oil system and the separator help prevent this from happening. Here is how mine turned out. I cut the end at a slight angle pointing forward. This is a theory that it creates positive pressure in the tube to help prevent oil from being sucked out if it were angled the opposite way creating a venturi effect. It is very secure once I tightened it at the separator and clamped it above the exhaust. It is clear of all the other hoses except the heater hose. With the bends I made it’s away from the firewall by a 1/4″. I used Aircraft Spruce’s Versatube for this project which wasn’t too terrible to bend and shape using the spring bending tool.